Quotes that remind us why we are the solution to terrorism

The horrific events of this week thus far have revealed just how scary our world is. It sometimes feels as though we are helpless in the face of those who hold power, make the decisions and literally call the ‘shots’. As civilians, we can either bow down or we can take responsibility and unite in the face of adversary. These quotations will remind us why we need to stay standing as other’s have done so before us:

A report released on the CIA’s interrogation techniques after the September 11 terror attacks revealed shocking details of torture methods used on terror suspects, including waterboarding and forced rectal feedings.

The Huffington Post reports: ‘Eighty-five percent of the interrogations completed as part of the CIA’s covert program in the wake of 9/11 were conducted by private contractors, who were paid tens of millions of dollars for actions’. This suggests those involved are unlikely to be prosecuted for their actions. ‘Obama has said he wants to leave the incidents “where they belong — in the past,” and the Justice Department has explicitly said it will not prosecute the torturers’.

“The question of justice is closely connected with both universal responsibility and the question of honesty. Justice entails a requirement to act when we become aware of injustice.” – Dali Lama

“The course of the examination under torture is steered by pain, is controlled by individual qualities of mind and body, is directed by the president of the court, is diverted by caprice, tainted by hope, invalidated by fear and the result is that in all these straights there is no room left for the truth.” – Cicero.

Also this week, a group of hostages were held and two were killed in a dramatic siege at a Lindt café in Sydney’s Martin Place by a self-proclaimed Islamic preacher.

The 16-hour siege ended when army commandos stormed the building.

And on Tuesday 16th December, Taliban gunmen stormed a school in Pakistan killing 148 people, including 132 children. It is not the first time children and education have been a target for terrorism. We saw it when school girl Malala who was shot in the head by the Taliban for attending school and defending girls’ rights to education. And we also saw it when Boko Haram kidnapped 200 schoolgirls in Nigeria.